How to make baby food that cats like?

Owning a cat is the fastest way to become a "cat owner"—cats not only enliven your life but also provide invaluable companionship. Owners spend a fortune on toys and carefully prepare their own food, striving to ensure their cats' health and happiness. However, some foods are friendly to cats, while others can be fatal. GGH will share some tips on cat food preparation, allowing your cat to eat happily and with peace of mind.

Cats are absolute "food gods" in the animal kingdom when it comes to picky eating. From the flavor of cat food to the shape of freeze-dried snacks and the meat in cat treats, they're incredibly selective. Their owners spend half a day painstakingly preparing a meal, only for the cat to sniff it, paw at it a couple of times, and then disappear, hiding forever. Their massive size seems to allow them to stay indoors all day. Homemade food is difficult to preserve, leaving owners bewildered as they stare at their wasted efforts. Since cats are so picky eaters, we should naturally try to cater to their preferences and understand what they like to eat.

Cat's preferred food status

Cats have specific food preferences, and we've compiled tips from several experienced cat owners to help you create the perfect cat-loving complementary food. Types of food cats prefer:

First: Crispy freeze-dried chicken breast pieces

Similar to human wafers, these have a crisp texture and a concentrated meaty flavor. Large, easy-to-chew pieces satisfy a cat's natural inclination to tear things apart, despite their weak bite force.

Second place: Pureed foods

Semi-liquid foods, such as cat treats, are suitable for cats' habit of licking their food.

Third place: Tender and smooth shredded pork

Choose chicken breast with a good balance of fat and lean meat, boil it, and then shred it into thin strips. This makes it easy for cats to put in their mouths and reduces the likelihood of vomiting due to eating too quickly.

Fourth: Sliced meats like fatty beef and lamb have a soft texture, making them easy for cats to tear apart. Tearing apart the meat can stimulate their appetite.

Fourth place: Jelly-like meat jelly. Many commercially available hydrating snacks and canned foods have a jelly-like texture, filled with natural palatability enhancers like tuna, shrimp, and shellfish, along with cooked carrot and pea pieces. Cats love it. Cat owners can also make their own hydrating jelly-like meat jelly at home using fish glue, pork skin, and gelatin sheets.

Whole young poultry: Poultry such as quail have bones and meat still attached. After cooking, the bones are soft, the internal organs are plentiful, and the meat juice is delicious. Cats can easily bite through them.

Fifth on the list of sweet vegetables and fruits: Cats love broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, radishes, papayas, durians, and dragon fruit, all of which are sweet.

Cat's dislike of certain foods

First: Dry, hard food. Cats simply can't chew dried fish pieces and have no interest in them.

Second: Tough, dry meats, such as chunks of lamb and duck, overcooked chicken breast, and meat scraps. Although meat scraps are nutritious and healthy, cats are unlikely to eat tough, dry meats, which need to be processed using a food processor.

Third: Solid food submerged in water. Cats don't use bowls; they lick the water first before eating. After drinking the water, they already feel full, which affects their appetite.

Fourth: Slippery and small-particle foods such as steamed eggs. Cats mainly rely on licking to roll up their food; they don't have the ability to suck, so eating is very strenuous for them.

The claim that cats like to eat fish is a myth. Freshwater fish are bony and have a strong earthy taste, which domestic cats raised on pellet food from a young age do not like.

New food option: Cats are naturally sensitive and suspicious, believing anything they haven't eaten before is dangerous. Cat owners can try putting a small piece in their cat's mouth; once they taste the deliciousness, they'll eat it automatically. That's how my cat fell in love with durian.

Leftover food: Wild genes can accurately identify stale food and express their dislike for it.

Foods that cats can eat

A balanced diet requires a mix of meat and vegetables. Cats are obligate carnivores, so their diet should primarily consist of cat food and meat, with vegetables and fruits making up no more than 51% to 4% of their main food intake. Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals, enhance intestinal motility, reduce indigestion, and regulate bowel movements. Since cats don't particularly enjoy vegetables, a ratio of one-eighths meat to one-tenth vegetable can be used.

Palatable healthy food for cats

Meat: Chicken, duck, goose, pigeon, rabbit, venison, quail, turkey, beef (for the first feeding, it is recommended to feed a small amount to test for allergies).

Seafood: Salmon, tuna, sardines, saury, shrimp, oysters, shellfish

Fruits: Pumpkin, carrot, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, sweet potato

Leafy greens: broccoli, spinach, water spinach, cabbage, lettuce, celery, romaine lettuce

Strip-shaped vegetables: green beans, asparagus, cat grass, corn

Foods that cats absolutely cannot eat:

Scallions, ginger, garlic, chives, chili peppers, onions

Common cooking methods for cat food supplements

Cat food can be prepared by boiling, steaming, frying, or baking. Common complementary foods include shredded fresh meat, crispy shredded meat, minced meat mousse, steamed meat patties, meatballs, and sliced meat. Unsalted butter, coconut oil, or animal fat should be used for cooking.

Recommended cat food recipes

Creamy Pan-fried Salmon

Ingredients: 10g asparagus, 10g cherry tomatoes, 40g raw salmon, and unsalted butter as needed.

Instructions: Blanch the asparagus and cherry tomatoes separately until cooked, then cut them into small strips and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat, add the salmon and fry until cooked, then add the diced vegetables and stir-fry. Remove the bones from the salmon and let it cool to room temperature before feeding.

Chicken and vegetable meatballs

Ingredients: 250g chicken thigh meat, 6g cauliflower, 6g sweet potato, and appropriate amount of cream.

Instructions: Cook cauliflower and sweet potato until tender, then chop into small pieces and set aside. Use a food processor to mince the chicken, then pound vigorously to squeeze out excess water. Mix the minced chicken with the chopped vegetables and shape into meatballs. Coat both sides of the meatballs with butter and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides. Add a small amount of water to a pot, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Gogo Herbs Product Recommendations

Gogo Herb's Pet Section is dedicated to improving the health of cats and dogs and promoting healthy pet ownership. We offer a selection of nutritional supplements tailored to the different stages of your pet's life. These products are developed by professional Chinese veterinarians and approved by Wai Yuen Tong Chinese Medicine Clinic. Made with natural ingredients, they contain 100% whole Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, Astragalus membranaceus, and Atractylodes macrocephala—three pure natural Chinese herbs—to boost your cat's immunity, protect against viruses and bacteria, regulate their spleen and stomach, and enhance appetite and absorption. Your pet's health is inseparable from their owner's love and proper feeding. If you encounter any questions during your shopping or would like to learn more about health solutions best suited for your pet, please contact our medical and nutritional specialists via WhatsApp at +852 5483 0695.

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